Gustav von Bodelschwingh

Born in 1872 in Gadderbaum, now part of Bielefeld, Gustav von Bodelschwingh was a German Protestant pastor and missionary. Sources also describe him as a supporter of practical housing methods inspired by East African earthen construction, linking his name with the so-called Dünner-Lehmbrote process.

After studying theology, he served as a parish pastor in Dünne from 1901 to 1909. From 1912 to 1918 he worked with the Bethel Mission in East Africa, a period that seems to have shaped both his practical interests and his wider outlook.

As a writer, he is known for Friedrich v. Bodelschwingh: Ein Lebensbild, a biographical portrait of his father. That book, originally published in the early 20th century and later circulated more widely, reflects his close connection to the Bodelschwingh family legacy and to the religious life of Bethel.